Extract from forthcoming novel set in Goa 80s—early 90s

“We really have to make a stand, its February peak time with the Sun in group minded Aquarius,” Jules declared, emphasising his understanding of astrology’s laws of excitation. “Tonight’s a fat full moon in rapturous, dramatic Leo. Everyone is here now, play time is well overdue, the scene needs to get a full trot on. We’re going for broke, a 24 hour party, mid day to mid day, sun set, moon rise, moon set, sun rise. We are tribes of the moon aren’t we? ” 

From out of a blue and silver leather shoulder bag featuring planet-symbol-glyph designs he produced two Sony Walkman Professional tape players in black leather cases which had day-glow  Om stickers, as well as two RCA mini jack leads, which he handed to Disco Des, who proceeded to patch them into an old battered mixer on the small wooden DJ table. Disco Des brought a bigger third player, a JVC twin deck boogie box with build in speakers for cueing tracks into which he immediately snapped a newly recorded Maxell chrome cassette. Plugging in his headphones he fast forwarded searching for a sound check track—Psychic TV’s ‘Jack The Tab’. Jules lit sandalwood incense sticks and inserted them in a small holder on the table next to amethyst crystals clustered around a mini nataraj shiva shrine.

 To the side of the grassy dance floor, on adjacent terraces, chai mamas were arriving with their mini store merchandise and utensils packed in cane baskets balanced on top of their heads. They unrolled their mats which would become landing pads for sweaty dancers and neatly arranged their snacks of cakes, fruits (bananas, pine apple, coconuts) and kerosene cookers, glasses and spice ingredients for chai. Everyone had their favourite chai mama, and entrusted them with their shed garments and accessories, even their money belts and passports. Beema, Jule’s regular chai mama, beamed him an big optimistic happy smile as she lit a stick of incense which she stuck in a banana. A bar whallah had arrived and was unloading bottles of Limca soft drink, soda water, Kingfischer beer and a big block of ice in a sack from off a bullock drawn cart." © metaray

Comments

[Craig E.]

Nice, PTV reference! :) Keep writing!

[Stu Kawowski]

Very detailed descriptions, an authenticity permeates the passage. A taste of things to come from the past. One typo "Kingfischer" — good stuff Ray, best STU

[kim]

cool ray look forward to more xx